Aaron Huey

builds campaigns that create real-world change, by any medium necessary.

Over the past 20 years, his award-winning work as a visual storyteller for National Geographic has reached hundreds of millions globally. As a photographer, he has created more than 30 features for the magazine, tackling critical issues like environmental conservation, cultural preservation, and social justice. His storytelling approach has been shaped by three different fellowships in journalism and new media studies at Stanford, where he honed a "language lab" model for simplifying complex ideas into more consumable narratives, with significant influence from his time at the Hasso Plattner School of Design (d.School).

Huey's work transcends traditional boundaries, spanning photography, street art, immersive installations, Augmented and Virtual Reality, community-driven platforms, and emerging digital technologies. His projects continuously evolve, adapting to the unique needs of the audience and the landscape they inhabit, always with the goal of creating real-world impact. His Webby Award-winning VR experience for Bears Ears National Monument exemplifies his ability to blend technology and advocacy, offering immersive stories that drive real-world policy change.

As the founder of Amplifier.org, Huey has spearheaded campaigns that use visual stories and symbols to amplify the most important movements of our times, including the viral 'We The People' project with longtime collaborator Shepard Fairey. Under his creative direction, Amplifier has collaborated with thousands of artists on initiatives focused on social, environmental, and public health issues. His early vision and focus on storytelling on social media helped National Geographic expand its Instagram channel from hundreds of thousands in early 2012 when he began building it up with a handful of colleagues, to over 200 million followers a decade later. Whether through expansive visual art, immersive digital experiences, or large-scale social campaigns, Huey's work consistently strives to transform narratives and create measurable, lasting impact.